Do you use open source hardware?

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247 votes tallied
Yes
46% (114 votes)
No
19% (47 votes)
I probably have, but just don't know it
35% (86 votes)

Have you ever used open source hardware?

I was at the Palmetto Open Source Conference (POSSCON) a few weeks ago and one of the best exhibits was from SparkFun, an electronics company that sells open source hardware, offers classes, and provides online educational tutorials. A massive collection of electronic gadgets drew me to their booth.

Which got me thinking...

How many people have used open source hardware before? Or better yet, how many people have used open source hardware but didn't know it?

Chime in on our poll. And when you're done, participate in this open source hardward survey from SparkFun. The survey closes soon, so get your answers in before April 15.

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Jason Hibbets
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Jason Hibbets is a Community Director at Red Hat with the Digital Communities team. He works with the Enable Architect, Enable Sysadmin, Enterprisers Project, and Opensource.com community publications.
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3 Comments

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Beverly | April 11, 2012
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As a user of technology I await with anticipation for more open source offerings to catch up with their closed source counterparts and want to learn more about the variety and availability of those in existence. I wish I had the skills to build my own designs.
One place open-source hardware tends to shine is niche markets, like the IP-01 VoIP PBX we bought because all of the closed-source offerings greatly exceeded the needs of a home non-business.
We haven't needed to customize any hardware designs, and so far our need for open-source has been limited to buying pre-assembled open-source hardware designs and customizing software.
We especially look forward to the areas where specialty hardware either doesn't yet exist and designs where buying a professional-market version simply isn't possible for a hobby interest.

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Norman Childs | April 19, 2012
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micro-controller programming

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Peter Groen | April 26, 2012
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Related blog with more detail on the topic of Open Source Hardware (OSHW) that complements this article has been posted at http://cosihit.blogspot.com/2012/04/open-source-hardware-in-healthcare.html

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